Animal cake

Go wild with a party where all sorts of animals roam free across everything! We love this banana cake with a chocolate ganache!

Serves

20

Prep Time

Cook Time

35 mins

Banana cake

250g butter

4 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 cups mashed banana

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons vanilla essence

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup milk, at room temperature

Chocolate ganache

500g dark chocolate (50 per cent cocoa), chopped

250ml cream

Animal cake

Banana cake

Chocolate ganache

1/4 cup apricot jam, sieved

1kg fondant icing

2 tablespoons edible confetti pastel dots

3 plastic animals

3 animal party hats (2 large and 1 small)

Banana cake

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add eggs in one at a time, beating well between each addition. Add the mashed banana and mix in.

Sift flour and baking powder together in a separate bowl.

Gently fold the flour and milk mixtures into the creamed milk alternatively, starting and ending with the flour.

Pour into a lined cake tin and bake for 35 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Chocolate ganache

Heat the cream in a saucepan until it's just about to boil, then remove from the heat, add the chocolate and stir until smooth.

Leave to set overnight in a covered bowl on the bench before using to fill and cover the cake.

Animal cake

Cut the cake into three layers. Place the bottom layer on a thin cake board and spread with a third of the ganache. Top with the middle layer of cake and spread with another third of the ganache. Add the top layer of cake and use the remaining ganache to ice the sides and top of the cake. Refridgerate for around 15 minutres until the ganache has set hard.

Brush the cake all over with a thin layer of the apricot jam. (This will make the fondant stick to the cake).

Gently knead the fondant icing until it warms a little and is easier to roll out.

Lightly sprinkle cornflour on the bench and roll the icing out to 3-4mm thick. Gently lift it using your rolling pin and place over the top of the cake. Use your fingers to smooth the icing gently across the top, then, working around the cake, smooth down the sides. Trim the excess, cover and set aside to use again.

Dip your finger in water and rub around the bottom 2cm of the iced cake. This will make the fondant sticky so you can attach the confetti dots.

Press the confetti dots onto the dampened area of the cake.

Place the cake on your serving plate and top with the animals. Use a little bluetack to keep hats in place if necessary.

TIP

You can ice the cake with butter cream icing instead of fondant if you prefer. Confetti dots will stick to butterceam icing easily.